Catholic official arrested

Phoenix

The former vicar general of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix was accused this week of fondling seven boys and young men. Monsignor Dale Fushek, 53, was second in command to the bishop, making him one of the highest-ranking priests to be arrested in the church’s sexual abuse scandal. Prosecutors say that between 1984 and 1994, Fushek used his position as a priest at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in Mesa, Ariz., to get his victims to talk about their sex lives, in what prosecutors called “sham confessions.” Fushek, who denies the charges, has been on administrative leave since the accusations first surfaced in April. He was charged with three counts of assault, five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and two counts of indecent exposure.

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